How many kids are in extracurriculars?

It can be exhausting trying to keep up with the rat race. We look at how many American kids are participating in extracurricular activities, and how we're all just figuring out our own balances.

Events in Your Area 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦❄️

Boston

• Countdown to Kindergarten Playgroup (FREE! Boston Public Library)

• Zoo Lights (Stone Zoo)

• Christmas by Candlelight (Old Sturbridge Village)

• Farm Festival of Lights (Good Pickin’ Farms)

• Hanukkats (by Talking Hands Theatre)

• Polar Express Holiday Celebration (Wachusett Mountain)

• “Take Aparts” (Acton Discovery Museum)

• Milk, Cookies, and Storytime (Old Sturbridge Village)

• Mrs. Claus Read Aloud (Little Lovage Club)

NYC

• Mix-n-Mingle Math Program (FREE! National Museum of Mathematics)

• Winter Wonderland (Waterdrinker Farms)

• Merry Market (Waterdrinker Farms)

• Spin, Sing, and Shine for Hanukkah! (Children’s Museum of Manhattan)

San Francisco

• Lightscape (SF Botanic Gardens)

Twin Cities

• Winterapolis (Minneapolis/St. Paul area)

Activity Spotlight: Tom Denney Nature Camp 🐞

For families in the northeast with kids in grades K-12, Tom Denney Nature Camp offers a rich mix of outdoor adventures: swimming, hiking, games, camper-led performances, shelter building, predator-and-prey tag, arts & crafts, and camp-fires for hot dogs and marshmallows (and that’s just to start). This could be a great way to escape from overscheduled extracurriculars and get back to the slower speed of the outdoors in 2026!

• Area: Greater Boston

• Price: $415/week for K-5, $525/week for 6-9 grades, $425 for high schoolers

• Dates: June 29 - August 7, 2026

• Highlights: Classic camp experience, experiences with nature, great counselors

• Registration*: Camps can be registered for through the online portal here. Registration opens January 1!

What’s New This Week 📰

• Are Most Kids in Extracurriculars? A Look at How Many American Kids Do After-School Activities: Explore recent data on programs, sports, arts, and access gaps to see where your family fits amongst other Americans.

• Overbooked Kids - The Overscheduled Crisis: A pediatric psychotherapist at Southern New Hampshire Health examines how well intending parents can actually overschedule kids into a lack of creativity and mental wellness.

What We’re Working On 📊

We’ve refined the structure and technical pieces of our work (mostly, all Moms know that projects are always on-going), and now we’re making sure that our data is air tight. There is nothing worse than doing a quick Google search where you seem to find what you’re looking for, only to click on the link and realize the information is outdated or inaccurate. 🤦‍♀️ Not on our marketplace watch!

We want to make sure that we’re providing you the most up to date information available, so we’re going through everything with a fine tooth comb. It’s time consuming, but so worth it to ensure we’re offering you all a top quality product that will actually help with your planning!

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Signing off,

Your Team at MomBrains